There really isn't anything you can "do" to get an upgrade other than booking a guarantee cabin or paying for it. The free upgrades ( and yes, I have gotten them) occure when the cruise line wants to free up cheaper cabins to sell in order to fill the ship. Its pretty much luck of the draw and how full the ship gets.

We usually get an upgrade, but that is because we book almost a year in advance. When we do that, our Vacation Planner watches for us and lets us know about every single special. By the time they try to fill up the ship - when it is close to sail time, they start moving up. I imagine if you book close to sail time you would not be the ones moved up. When you book a SPECIFIC room, from what I understand, it is highly unlikely you will be upgraded. But if you do TBA from the beginning....chances are much better. Hope this helps

As I've said more than once lately, most upgrades really aren't what I'd consider an upgrade. To me an upgrade is to a larger accomodation with more amenities. In most cases, when someone gets an upgrade it is just to a higher deck in the same sized cabin. All you've really gained is a shorter trip to the lido deck. Sure, upgrades from insides to outsides, or outsides to balconies, do occur. But these are not the common upgrade.

Amen to that, Dave. Some of us have more luck than others. As for me, an upgrade is very rare. I did have an upgrade on my September cruise. I went from an inside cabin on deck 5 to an outside deluxe ocean view on deck 9. Now that was a real upgrade. It was my first after 30 cruises.

I havent ever gotten a "free upgrade" either although RCCL did let me upgrade to a suite for $300 more at check in one cruise. Here is my question...we booked 7 cabins for 11-18 Triumph and got all the applicable discounts, military, past guest, etc. the online fare posted now is less. When you book direct with Carnival vacation planners, don't they guarantee lowest rate? I am waiting for a return call right now.